1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to doors for motor vehicles and, more specifically, to a forward facing rear door assembly for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide a rear door for a motor vehicle. Typically, the rear door faces rearward and is attached to a body of the motor vehicle. The rear door hinges at the xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d pillar of the vehicle body by a pair of upper and lower hinges, and latches at the xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d pillar using a striker attached to the vehicle body.
It is desirable to provide a third door on at least one side of the motor vehicle to aid in the entry to a third row seat inside the motor vehicle. It is also desirable to provide a forward facing rear door for a motor vehicle. It is further desirable to provide a rear door hinging at the xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d pillar of the vehicle body of a motor vehicle. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a rear door assembly that meets these desires, and a body side structure that supports the door sag requirements and maintains the body stiffness equal to the baseline.
Accordingly, the present invention is a forward facing rear door assembly for a motor vehicle. The forward facing rear door assembly includes a forward facing rear door having a forward end and a rear end. The forward facing rear door assembly also includes a single hinge connected to a rear end of the forward facing rear door and for connection to a xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d pillar of a vehicle body of the motor vehicle to allow a forward end of the forward facing rear door to open and close a door opening in the vehicle body.
One advantage of the present invention is that a forward facing rear door assembly is provided for a motor vehicle. Another advantage of the present invention is that the body side structure has a unique box-like configuration that provides support for a forward facing rear door. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the body side structure supports the forward facing rear door with a single hinge that is hidden and attached to a xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d pillar of a body of the motor vehicle. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the body side structure provides a unique load path within a side of a vehicle body that permits the forward facing rear door to meet system design requirements in drop-off, sag, and frame/seal performance. A further advantage of the present invention is that the body side structure allows a new six-door vehicle body to have bending/torsion stiffness, and bending/torsion modal frequencies that are almost equivalent to a conventional four-door vehicle body.